


Lightheaded

by EclecticIsMyMiddleName



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Comfort, Diabetes, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Other, Reader-Insert, and will have some suggestive themes, gender neutral reader, loss of consciousness, the reader is diabetic, the second chapter is gonna be humorous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-24 12:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14355924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclecticIsMyMiddleName/pseuds/EclecticIsMyMiddleName
Summary: Blacking out is scary enough, but imagine how much worse it is in the middle of training. Good thing Bertholdt has your back.





	1. Chapter 1

The cables on your ODM shot out and the hooks sank into the nearest trees. Your stomach flipped in a pleasant way as the you shot through the air and chased after your comrades. Your heart raced as your team flew through the air, dodging branches and obstacles the instructors had set up. Spying your group's target - the giant wooden outline of a titan - you twisted yourself mid-air and aimed for it.  
  
A triumphant yell erupted from your throat as your blades sliced through the soft spot. You did a somersault as you landed and looked back to admire your handiwork.  
  
"Great job!" came a voice. You glanced over and saw Reiner had landed beside you. "Keep up the good work, and you'll make top ten!"  
  
You flushed and waved his compliment away. "You say nice things to every cadet here." Your heart was still racing and you were almost panting to catch your breathe. "You're like a big brother, Reiner."  
  
"Someone has to be," he joked, placing his hands on his hips as Bertholdt landed beside him. "Hey, Bert. Did you see how our friend here took out that dummy? I'd say we've got competition for top ten!"  
  
Bertholdt blushed and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Y-Yeah, that was really i-impressive back there."  
  
You couldn't suppress a grin as your heart raced for another reason besides the thrill of a successful practice run. Everything about Bertholdt got your heart racing. From his shy mannerisms to the fact that he towered over everyone - and yet, was a gentle giant - gave you butterflies in your stomach.  
  
"Thanks, that's nice of you to say," you murmured, feeling the butterflies in your stomach intensify when he averted his gaze. He was flushing crimson and digging the toe of his boot into the dirt.  
  
The three of you watched your comrades complete the obstacle course, and after a few minutes, your heart rate still hadn't returned to normal yet. Just as you questioned it, something inside you snapped.  
  
Without warning, the butterflies in your stomach turned sour, replaced with a sick feeling. Your stomach churned and suddenly, you felt lightheaded. Your grin disappeared in an instant as you held out your hand.  
  
"Oh, no," you muttered, dread curling in the pit of your stomach when you saw you were shaking. "Not now! Please, not now!" A wave of nausea crashed over you. The light feeling in your head intensified so much that you could _feel_ the blood rushing through your body.  
  
"Hey, you good?" Reiner asked, putting a hand on your shoulder. "You look pale all the sudden."  
  
You would have blushed when you felt Bertholdt rest his hand on your other shoulder, but the dizziness in your head was too distracting. Putting a hand to your temple, you closed your eyes to stave off the nausea and felt yourself sway a little.  
  
"Whoa, you okay?" Bertholdt asked, his grip on you tightening a little. "Y-You really don't look good. No offense."  
  
You swallowed and felt your mouth go dry. When you opened your mouth, you tried to focus on forming words and not on the feeling of pins and needles in your limbs.  
  
"I-I'm f-fine-" you began, but suddenly, your world went black as your blood sugar dropped. When you opened your eyes seconds later, you thought you were dreaming: Bertholdt was looking down at you, his green eyes brimming with worry as his brow furrowed. His arms were wrapped around you, which you were grateful for because your knees felt far to weak to support your own weight.  
  
"Are you okay?" Reiner asked, but his voice sounded far away as you struggled to keep your eyes open.  
  
"W-What happened?" you mumbled, trying to dig your fingers into the fabric of Bertholdt's shirt to ground yourself. Dread curled tighter in your stomach when your grip felt weak. The effort of talking was tiring you out fast and you were tempted to give in to instinct to close your eyes. "W-Why am I-?"  
  
"You fainted," Bertholdt explained, his cheeks flushing. "A-And I caught you. You've never done that before. Are you sick?"  
  
Not having the strength to form words, you shook your head. The sudden movement brought on a new wave of dizziness and you squeezed your eyes shut as your stomach flipped.  
  
"Man, let's get you out of here," Reiner said, giving your shoulder a squeeze. "Think you can stand on your own?" You shook your head. "Guess we'll have to carry you."  
  
"Cadet Braun!" snapped Instructor Shadis' voice. He strode towards them, wearing his usual intimidating expression. Coming to a halt a few feet away from them, he demanded, "What is going on here?!"  
  
"Sir! Our friend here fainted out of the blue, sir!" Reiner explained, standing straight with his shoulders squared.  
  
Shadis eyed the three of you, his gaze lingering on you in Bertholdt's arms. "I see. Cadet Braun, get back to training! Cadet Hoover, get this maggot to the barracks and get your ass back here on the double!"  
  
"Sir, yes, sir!" Reiner and Bertholdt recited in unison.  
  
As Shadis stalked away, Reiner turned to Bertholdt. "You got this, man?"  
  
"Y-Yeah, I can do this by myself," he replied. Reiner nodded and headed back to the obstacle course. Bertholdt gulped before saying, "Pardon me for a moment." He stooped and picked up you up bridal style. "I-Is this okay?"  
  
You nodded and rested your head against his chest. Hearing his heart beat calmed you down somewhat. Despite your senses being overwhelmed by dizziness and nausea, a small part of you couldn't believe you were really in his arms. You fought to stay awake, but before you could memorize the feeling of his strong arms supporting you, you lost consciousness again.  
  
Bertholdt felt his anxiety spike when you went limp against him and he rushed you to the barracks.  
  
When you opened your eyes again, your heart skipped a beat.  
  
Bertholdt was sitting on the edge of your bed, hunched over you and brushing your hair from your face. You smiled as his fingertips grazed your forehead. He froze when you opened your eyes and retracted his hand immediately.  
  
"Y-Your hair was in y-your face," he explained, looking away from you. "I-I thought it'd be more comfortable for you i-if I moved it." He cleared his throat and you saw the tips of his ears were turning red.  
  
You tried to sit up, but the world started spinning again. Seeing you out of the corner of his eye, Bertholdt snapped his attention back to you.  
  
"Whoa, don't move too fast, okay?" Bertholdt said, placing a hand on your shoulder. "I don't want you fainting again!" Gently pushing on your shoulder, he eased you onto your back. "There. Has this happened before?"  
  
"Yeah," you replied, closing your eyes to make the room stop spinning. "My blood sugar drops sometimes and I get faint. I just need something to bring it back up."  
  
"Blood sugar? So, will sweets help?" he guessed, and you nodded. He perked up now that he knew how to help you. "I-I think Connie has some stashed in his bunk. I-I can go get some for you."  
  
"Please," you said, almost giggling at how fast he hopped to his feet.  
  
"I-I'll be right back!" he promised, pausing by the foot of the bed. "Stay right there, okay?"  
  
"Will do," you promised, closing your eyes again. Pressing a hand to your belly seemed to lessen the nausea rolling in your stomach. The dread curled inside you loosened knowing you wouldn't have to go through this alone. The fact that your crush was taking care of you also took the edge off your anxiety.  
  
When Bertholdt returned, he was holding a bag of sweets and a water pouch.  
  
"I-I thought maybe you could use some water," he explained as he sat on the edge of the mattress. He placed the items down before helping you sit up. You blushed as his hands lingered on your shoulders. He opened the bag of sweets and handed you one. "Here."  
  
Your fingers brushed his as you took it and popped it into your mouth. The sweet slowly dissolved on your tongue but the lightheaded feeling immediately lessened. You shifted it around in your mouth before biting down. The burst of flavor made you smile and before you knew it, the sweet was gone.  
  
"Thank you, Bert," you said, your mouth dry not that you've eaten. Reaching for the water pouch, you felt his eyes on you.  
  
"You really scared me there," he admitted as you took a swig. "Have you told anyone about this?"  
  
You froze and felt your pulse speed up. You swallowed against the lump forming in your throat and kept your voice level as you replied, "No, I haven't."  
  
"Why not?" Bertholdt asked. You risked a glanced at him and found his gaze fixed on you. "This sort of thing is important! What if there's no one to help you next time?"  
  
You broke the eye contact, averting your gaze as dread returned to the pit of your stomach. "I can't tell anyone. I'll be fine, Bert. This doesn't happen often enough that I can't train or go into the military."  
  
"Why can't you tell?" he asked, his voice growing more confident as he grew bolder. You startled when you felt his hand land on your shoulder. "Or should I ask, 'why _won't_ you tell'?"  
  
You bit your lower lip as your pulse started racing again. Feeling cornered, you sighed through your nose in defeat and said, "Okay, it's not that I can't tell. But if I tell you, you have to promise to keep it secret." Bertholdt nodded and you slumped your shoulders in relief. "Okay, so I haven't said anything because I'm scared, okay? If you were the instructor and were in charge of who stays and who leaves, would you hang on to a person like me? You never know when I might black out, and you'd never take a risk like that. There's no way I'd be allowed to continue into the military."  
  
Bertholdt was silent a moment, his hand falling from your shoulder. "You're right. I'd never let you continue into the military."  
  
Your chest tightened as the dread in your stomach intensified. "Please don't tell anyone!" You turned to him and swallowed hard when you saw his unreadable expression. Desperation shot through you, and your hands were clinging to his shoulders before you could think twice. "I don't want the military to reject me!"  
  
Bertholdt's expression softened at the worry in your eyes. He gently pried your hands off him, lowering your hands to your lap. "Okay, you have my word. I won't tell."  
  
"Thank you!" you replied, relief washing over you. A moment later, your cheeks heated up as you realized Bertholdt's hands were still holding yours. "Uh, Bert? Y-Your still holding my hands."  
  
His demeanor changed and he looked down at his lap. The confidence from before had vanished as quickly as it came on. "I-I know." He cleared his throat and brought his eyes to yours. Your stomach filled with butterflies at the crimson on cheeks. "I uh, have to tell you something. I-I wasn't just worried about you because I think of you as a fellow cadet, or even as a friend."  
  
"You mean you...feel something else for me?" you guessed, biting your lip as you dared to scoot closer. You could see sweat drip down his temple as he tensed at the sudden closeness. "Something _more_ than a friend?"  
  
He gulped and wet his lips. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the movement and you had to fight the urge to close the distance between you two.  
  
"I-I do," he admitted, flushing harder. You could feel his palms getting sweatier, but you were too overwhelmed by the giddiness in your chest to care. "That's why I felt so useless when you fainted."  
  
Sympathy mixed with the giddy feeling swelling in your chest. Emboldened, you reached up and cupped his cheek. "Oh, Bert. You aren't useless at all. In fact, if it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would've done."  
  
A shy smile spread across his lips and his eyes lowered to your lips.  
  
"S-So, y-you need something sweet when this happens, right?" Bertholdt stammered, his face bright red and his hands shaking slightly. "H-How about this?"  
  
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours in a chaste kiss. You made a noise of surprise as his lips brushed yours. They were softer than they looked and as he pulled away, you longed for him to kiss you again.  
  
So you wasted no time in curling your hands around his shirt collar and pulling him down for another kiss. He tensed a moment, then his eyes slid shut as he kissed you back. Your first kiss was clumsy and you both had to pause to giggle as you both figured out how kiss each other properly.  
  
Eventually, the two of you figured out what worked and kissed until you were out of breath.  
  
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against yours, panting quietly. "Sweet enough?"  
  
"Definitely," you replied, pulling him in for another kiss. You hadn't quite caught your breath yet, and as he kissed you back, you felt lightheaded for a better reason this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a twitter if you wanna go follow me there! :)  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/EclecticWrites   
> My handle is @EclecticWrites.


	2. Bonus!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you faint during training, Bertholdt takes to to the barracks to recover. However, things get a little heated after you're feeling better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for suggestive themes and cockblocking.

Bertholdt brought his hand to your cheek as he kissed you again. It took you two a bit to figure out how to kiss, but once you did, you couldn't deny Bertholdt was a fast learner. It hadn't taken him long to learn how to make you breathless; you practically melted against him every time his tongue his slipped past your lips.  
  
When he broke away, you leaned your cheek into his touch.  
  
"Try not to scare me again, okay?" he said, resting his forehead against yours. His thumb stroked your cheekbone as you flicked your gaze to his. "I was so worried when you blacked out."  
  
"I promise I'll try to give you a little warning next time," you replied, smiling as you rested your hands on his chest and leaned forward. "For now, let's get back to-" His lips were on yours before you could finish. "Mmph!" When he pulled away, you smacked his shoulder lightly. "You didn't let me finish!"  
  
He grinned down at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling. A hint of mischief slipped into his tone as he replied, "Sorry, I couldn't wait."  
  
"Two can play at that game!" you teased, grabbing his shirt collar and hauling him on top of you as you laid back on the bed. You adjusted so he was between your legs and took pride in the flustered look on his face.  
  
"W-Whoa! Moving a bit fast, don't yo-?" he began, but you cut off his protest with a sudden kiss. Half a second later, he relaxed against you. A quiet groan came from his throat as you slipped your tongue between his lips. His hands found your hair and you shivered as he reciprocated the kiss. His long fingers tangled into your hair and gave a slight tug. The sensation sent a jolt down your spine and you moaned, instinctively pressed closer to him.  
  
The two of you broke away to catch your breath and you grinned at him, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. "I thought you thought we were moving too fast? You seemed to enjoy that. Something change your mind?"  
  
"How can I resist when you make it so difficult?" he replied, his hand sliding down your side to rest on your hip. He placed a single kiss on your lips before kissing your cheek. You giggled as he moved to plant a kiss on your jaw.  
  
"Bert!" you giggled, curling your fingers around the fabric of his shirt. You could feel the rumble in his chest as he chuckled under his breath. "Bert! Stop tha-!" You inhaled sharply when you felt him kiss your neck.  
  
"Was that okay?" he asked, his breath against your skin making you shiver. You nodded and he kissed your neck again, this time on the pulse point below your jaw. Heat pooled in your groin in response. "Just tell me if you want me to stop."  
  
"Okay, but please, don't stop!" you said, surprised at how needy you sounded. Bertholdt perked at the tone of your voice. Beneath your palms, you felt his heart beat faster in his chest. His thumb dragged lazy circles on your hip bone and the sensation only heightened your arousal. "That's driving me crazy."  
  
He tensed and lifted his head to look at you. "In a good or bad way?"  
  
"Definitely good," you assured him, sneaking a kiss while you could reach his lips.  
  
"Then, did you want me to continue?" he asked. A mischievous glint entered his eyes when you nodded. "Good, because I wasn't done yet." He returned his lips to your neck and you tilted your head to give him better access. You bit your lip when you felt pinpricks against your skin as nipped your neck. "Want me to keep going?"  
  
"Please," you replied, humming in approval as worked his way back up your neck to your earlobe. Every now and then, you felt his teeth scrape your skin again and the heat in your groin burned hotter. A tiny gasp tumbled from your lips as nipped at your ear.  
  
The door creaked open and in an instant, Bertholdt and you separated. He scooted away until there was about two feet of space between the two of you as Reiner came into view.  
  
"Hey, you two," he greeted, leaning against the bed post casually and crossing his arms. "Shadis sent me to check on you." He smirked as he moved his gaze to Bertholdt. "And find out what happened to you, Bert. He could sense you slacking off."  
  
"For real?" Bertholdt asked, his shoulders slumping when Reiner nodded. "But I-I didn't notice we were gone for that long!"  
  
"Well, Shadis certainly noticed," he replied, raising a brow. "Do you guys know how long you've been gone?" Bertholdt shook his head as his blush spread to his ears. "An hour."  
  
"What?! Oh, no!" Bertholdt groaned, burying his face in his hands. His voice was muffled as he added, "Shadis is gonna lay into me for this!"  
  
"I'm sure you'll live," Reiner replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I doubt you're the only cadets to sneak off and avoid training." Reiner looked over at you and you averted your eyes, hoping he wouldn't see the blush on your cheeks. Your hopes were dashed, however, when you saw Reiner eyeing you in your peripheral vision. You felt his eyes flick down to your neck. Feeling a sinking feeling in your stomach, you knew it was all over when his lips broke into a grin. "Oh, shit! Don't tell me!"  
  
Bertholdt snapped his head up, glancing between you and Reiner. His hands flew up defensively as he got to his feet. "I-It's not what it looks like!"  
  
"Really? Because it _looks_ like you two went a little overboard with CPR practice!" Reiner joked, laughing at his own joke while Bertholdt groaned and buried his face in his hands again. "You know, it's 'mouth-to-mouth' not 'mouth-to-neck' _,_ right?"  
  
Bertholdt flushed crimson as his friend clapped him on the back. "Sh-Shut up, Reiner!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a twitter if you wanna go follow me there! :)  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/EclecticWrites   
> My handle is @EclecticWrites.


End file.
